Ponyville had changed over the course of a decade. It had grown into a small city, reminiscent of the Crystal Empire or Canterlot, but still growing. As Twilight took more and more responsibilities as the leader of the region, she had extended invitations to creatures from all over Equestria and beyond, turning Ponyville into the most diverse city anyone had ever seen. Griffon architecture blended with pony masonry, as dragon metalwork blended with changeling landscaping, with green areas of yak yurts and hippogriff huts. At the heart of it all was the Palace of Friendship, the crystalline structure bustling with representatives and clerks of every race.

Spike swallowed nervously as he returned to the castle. Before he and Applejack had left the farm for their respective destinations, they had agreed to not keep their relationship a secret. They weren’t going to broadcast it, of course, but if anyone asked ‘what’s been going on?’ then they were at liberty to mention that little detail. A cluster of crystal ponies gaped and waved at the dragon as he passed them and he nervously waved back.

Little detail, Spike thought to himself, yeah right. I’m still practically worshipped in the Crystal Empire and AJ is the Element of Honesty. When everyone finds out we’re dating, it’ll be the hottest story in Equestria…
He entered the castle, growing slowly more comfortable as he greeted the familiar faces, trading jokes and tit-for-tat with his former coworkers. He dodged small talk, though, saying he was in a hurry and looking for Smolder, though he was sure to tell them all that Applejack and him were working on a haunted hay ride for Nightmare Night and needed some volunteers, which excited several creatures. Finally, he made his way into his old office, now the joint office for Ocellus and Smolder, both working steadily. They looked up as he entered and grinned.

“Well, well, well,” Smolder chuckled as she got up from her desk, hands on her hips, “I knew retirement wasn’t for you. Come back to beg for your old job?”

“You wish,” Spike laughed, “Hey Ocellus.”

“Hello!” the changeling beamed, happy to see her former mentor, “You’ll be pleased to know that we’ve been keeping up with our work quota. In fact, I dare say we’ve surpassed your efficiency.”

“Ouch!” Spike feigned injury, slapping a palm to his chest, “Way to let me down easy, Ocellus.”

“What are you here for, you big goofball?” Smolder asked, reclining against her desk.

“Actually, I need…” Spike blushed, eying Ocellus, “Um… it’s about stuff. Dragon stuff.”

“Say no more,” Smolder held up a hand then looked at Ocellus, “Would you mind?”

“Sure,” the changeling turned herself into a dragon and grinned, smugly at them.

“I miss when you were shy and timid…” the female dragon sighed, then jutted a thumb at the door. Giggling, Ocellus left the pair alone. “Honestly, she spends too much time with Pinkie Pie these days. Anyway, what do you need to talk about, Spike? Don’t tell me! You finally got a mate.”

“H-how did you know?” Spike gaped, wide-eyed.

“Wait, what?!” Smolder stood up straight, looking astounded, “Whoa, no, no, no! I was joking! Seriously, you got laid?”

“Gee, don’t sound too surprised…” Spike crossed his arms, shooting a flat glare at his friend, “Yes, I have a mate now. That’s why I’m here. Something’s… happened.”

“I’ll say,” Smolder grumbled, not looking at all pleased, “What do you mean something happened? You break your dick or something?”

“No!” Spike chuckled briefly, then looked worried, “Can that… can that happen?”

“Ugh, you’re such a dweeb…” Smolder facepalmed, failing to hold in a smile at his ignorance.

“This is weird to say, but… my sperm was really, really hot,” Spike spoke quickly.

“Yeah, and?” Smolder raised an eyebrow.

“W-well, it wasn’t hot the first couple of times we had sex,” Spike shrugged, blushing, “a-and she obviously can’t handle something that hot going inside her. She had to wear fireproof boots last night, not that that’s really any of your business. I should quit talking.”

“Wait, hold up,” the female dragon shook her head, “She can’t handle something that hot? Fireproof boots? Why would a dragoness need fireproof boots?”

“I never said my mate was a dragon,” Spike’s blush deepened, “It’s a mare.”

“You chose a mare over a dragoness?!” Smolder snapped, gripping Spike by his shoulders and shaking him, “Why?!”

“I was raised by mares! I’ve known ponies longer than dragons!” Spike blurted out, startled, “Besides, the only dragonesses I know are you and Ember!”

“S-so?!” Smolder began to blush, “W-weren’t you even interested in a dragoness?!”

“Not… really?” Spike tilted his head to the side, confused. Smolder let out a frustrated roar as she shoved him backwards. She turned around and glowered out of the office window, tail snapping in agitation. “Uh… you okay?”

“You are so dense, I swear…” the dragoness sighed, massaging the bridge of her muzzle, “Oh well, whatever. What do you want to know, specifically?”

“Why is dragon sperm so hot?” Spike asked, blushing a little less as he got comfortable with the topic.

“Dragon seed is given a touch of magic from within,” Smolder explained, her irritation fading as she explained, “Think of it like torches. We have our magical flame inside of us, giving us life and power, and we pass it onto our children. Dragon seed – and dragon eggs – are lit up with our magical fire, so that way we don’t only pass on our traits, but also our magic.”

“Why was last night the first time it got so hot, though?” the younger dragon asked, his blush returning as he continued, “I mean… I’ve masturbated before, and the few times we had sex before it was never that hot.”

“Well,” Smolder smirked back at the dragon, though there was a touch of sad jealousy behind it, “dragons have to want to copulate in order to do it. Only a desire to impregnate or be impregnated will spark the dragon seed or egg. She must be a special mare if you’re lighting up like that.”

“Oh, she is,” Spike grinned like an idiot, then frowned, “Wait, so… all I have to do is not want to impregnate her, and my sperm will go back to a non-lethal temperature?”

“It should,” Smolder shrugged, “but the question is, can you suppress the urge to knock her up?”

“I-I don’t want kids,” Spike blushed, “…y-yet.”

“Did you have any more questions?” the dragon asked with a sigh.

“I don’t suppose you know anything about if ponies and dragons can interbreed?” the purple dragon ventured.

“No idea,” Smolder sat down at her desk, “Can you send Ocellus back in on your way out?”

“Yeah,” Spike readied to leave, “Oh yeah, Applejack and I are working on a haunted hayride for Nightmare Night. Did you want to volunteer to help out or visit? It’ll be fun; you get to scare young ponies, drakes, griffons and whatnot.”

“Tempting…” Smolder chuckled, returning to work, “Yeah, why not? I have that night off anyway.”

“Great!” Spike smiled at her, “Thanks for the help, by the way.”

“No prob,” the dragoness returned the smile, “Now get out. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

After he left, her smile melted away and she scowled. Spike had a filly-friend? When had that happened?! He hadn’t been seeing anyone when he was working at the Palace. The only mares he had regular contact with were Pinkie Pie – who kept spending more and more time trying to pester Twilight – and Applejack, who he left work to help on her farm. Neither of them could-

Wait a tick. Who just left a meaningful career behind to live on a friend’s farm for no pay? Smolder felt her anger, well, smolder. He was dating Applejack?! The mare was ten years older than him! Not that that meant anything to dragons; ten years wasn’t even a blink of an eye to such long-lived creatures. Still, she was older, tied to one place, and not very fun. What did Spike see in her?! Feeling silly, Smolder simply accepted she’d missed her opportunity and returned to work.
…

Applejack had gone a different direction, trekking into Everfree Forest where Ponyville hadn’t expanded. Despite the dangers of those enchanted woods, the way to Zecora’s hut was a well-enough traveled path that – at this point – the Apples could perform blindfolded. Once Applejack arrived she was greeted by the zebra who smiled, happy to have a visitor from the older sister of her greatest student.

“It is nice to see you, Applejack,” Zecora greeted, ushering the mare in, “Please tell me: what brings you back?”

“Howdy Zecora,” Applejack nodded in greeting, “I came for some help, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Hmm… You do not appear to be sick or ill,” the zebra noted, “Do you require a potion, tonic, or pill?”

“I’m looking for something to, uh…” the farmer blushed, wondering how best to phrase her needs, “I’m looking for a potion that makes me fire-resistant. Like, being able to pull a piping hot pie from the oven without mitts kinda resistant.”

“I have all manner of cures for fire,” Zecora smirked, showing Applejack an assortment of vials and bottles, “please browse to your heart’s desire.”

Applejack looked at the bottles and vials, pursing her lips as she read the labels. They seemed to be mostly creams or waxes to rub on skin or fur in order to make one resistant to flame. The farmer spared a nervous look over her shoulder at the zebra.

“Do you have anything that can make a pony fireproof on the inside?” Applejack asked, anxiously.

“Do you plan on eating flame?” Zecora raised an eyebrow, “Circus tricks are not your game… Is this truly for handling pie? I never expected you to lie.”

“I ain’t lying!” Applejack rounded on the zebra, blush deepening, “I-I just need something to keep me from burning up, is all. I-inside and out.”

Zecora only stared at the farmer flatly, needing more details. Applejack grimaced; clearly she wasn’t buying the apple pie story anymore.

“Spike and I are in a relationship,” the peach-coated mare explained, hurriedly, ignoring Zecora’s shocked expression, “I need some kind of potion or tonic or whatever to make me resistant to, uh… his… um…” her blush deepened the more she mumbled.

“I have heard of the heat of dragon seed,” the zebra said, easing Applejack’s awkwardness some, “and I believe that I have what you need.”

She led Applejack to her cauldron and began brewing something. Applejack watched, cautiously, as Zecora threw in increasingly-bizarre ingredients into the mixture, which changed color nearly a dozen times before turning a strange ice-blue color. The zebra then filled a vial with the mixture and handed it to her customer.

“This is a dangerous potion,” Zecora warned, “Simply apply it like a lotion. It will seep into your skin, but then your transformation shall begin. No longer will you be a pony pure if you use this liquid cure. You will be able to swim through fire lakes, but your blood will be like those of drakes.”

“So this is going to turn me into a dragon?” Applejack looked at the vial anxiously. She was pretty sure she loved Spike, but to change her entire species just for him… it made more sense for him to change into a stallion, didn’t it?

“You will stay as you are,” the zebra explained, “the changes do not stretch too far. You will feel no pain from flame; skin or womb, it’s all the same. Beware, however, of side effects! Scaly blemishes or fanglike defects. I know not what changes may affect you; do not risk it if you have no wish to.”

“Just to make sure I’m clear…” Applejack tallied up everything Zecora had said, “this here potion will change my blood so I’m more dragon-like? But you don’t know exactly what that will do to me other than making me fireproof?” The zebra nodded confirmation. “Alright, well… if I start growing scales or breathing fire, uh… you can fix that, right?” Another nod. “Well, alright then! This should help a ton! How often do I need to use this? Also, how much do I owe you?”

“This will be free of charge,” the apothecary smiled at her friend, “the cost of brewing was not large. Consider it a congratulation for your attempt at copulation. This potion only requires a one-time use; please visit more, don’t be a recluse.”

“Thank you kindly, Zecora,” Applejack grinned, “I’ll be sure to visit again soon, and I’ll bring Spike along with me. He’d be right happy to see you, I’m sure.”

They said their goodbyes and the mare began her trot back home. Applejack hummed a tune to herself as she cleared Everfree Forest and took the road through the farmland outside of Ponyville proper. Her thoughts strayed towards her encounter with Zecora and the lotion in her saddlebag. A potion that would turn her blood part-dragon? And even the zebra alchemist had no idea what all effects that could have on a pony? She shuddered at the idea of her being turned into a half-furred, half-scaled abomination with too many teeth in her mouth, or spines growing out of her back. Would Spike still find her attractive? Still want her? Would ponies be disgusted that she had let her blood be twisted just so she could lie with a dragon? Would she be judged for being with a dragon?

She felt a twist of nausea in her gut confronting those fears. Did she care what others thought about her and Spike? Did she really even care about being given dragon properties or even becoming fully dragon, or was she simply afraid of what others would think about her sacrificing so much to be with someone she loved? By the time she returned to Sweet Apple Acres she was second-guessing her purchase. Worse, she saw Spike flying in from the direction of Ponyville, set to land before she could reach her door, meaning there was no chance to delay and get her thoughts in order. He’d see she was upset and would pry, as he always did, until this little scab of a problem became a gaping sore.

“Hey, Applejack!” the dragon greeted as he came in for a four-point landing, large wings flared at either side. The mare felt a strong gust of wind nearly knock her hat off as his wings had snapped out to brake his descent. “Did Zecora have something to make you fireproof?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure I should use it,” Applejack commented. Before Spike could inquire why not, she asked, “How’d it go with Smolder? Did she tell you why your gravy’s too hot to handle?”

“Uh… yeah…” Spike blushed, not sure how to tell his filly-friend what he’d learned.

“And?” the mare pressed, “Is it something we can fix so I don’t have to use a potion with side effects?”

“Yes and no,” the dragon rubbed the back of his head, nervously, “You see, it turns out dragon sperm only gets hot like that when a guy dragon wants to… knock a female up.”

“Say what, now?” Applejack’s eyes widened.

“Y-yeah, apparently we imbue our magic fire into our sperm whenever we’re sure w-we want to have hatchlings with a mate,” Spike explained further, blush deepening, “so, hypothetically, I should be able to keep my body and sperm from overheating if I… don’t want to get you pregnant.”

“S-sounds simple enough,” the farmer forced a grin despite her own blush, trying to ignore the implication that Spike wanted her to bear his offspring.

“It sounds simple, but AJ, I didn’t even realize I wanted to impregnate you last night,” the former ambassador sighed, “I don’t know if I can simply will myself to not want that, or if it’s like a subconscious desire…” He chewed his lip for a moment. “What about the potion Zecora gave you? You mentioned something about side effects.”

“It makes me fireproof, but at the cost of corrupting my blood with dragon blood,” Applejack explained, trying to think of a way to phrase it. Once she heard her words out loud, she winced, trying to ignore Spike’s frown. “Zecora says that there won’t be any major changes in appearance, but that I might experience some side effects. She has no idea what kinds, though. I could sprout horns, or scales, or fangs, even!”

“Hmm…” Spike stroked his chin, grinning, “You’d look good in horns.”

“I’m not comfortable with the idea of changing my blood just so we can have sex,” the farmer said, a little more harshly than she intended, “especially when I don’t know what all could happen to me!”

“I won’t force you to take it,” the dragon raised his hands, defensively, “I’ll just focus on not knocking you up, and if needed, we can develop some kind of protection. Maybe make a condom out of the rubber your boots are made from?”

“Spike, you wouldn’t be able to feel anything in that!” Applejack rolled her eyes, then thought it over, “though, it’d add nearly an inch to your girth…”

“I’d prefer barely feeling it to not doing it all,” Spike crossed his arms, “and I really don’t want to hurt or even kill you.”

“Let’s not go making contraceptives right out of the gate,” the mare chided, calmly, “I say we start with you just focusing on not making me a mother, first. We went three nights in a row without incident, so I don’t think it’s impossible. If that fails, well I’m sure the pony running Carousel Boutique can… make us… a… Boy howdy, that’ll be an awkward order.”

“You’re not the one who will need measurements taken…” Spike grimaced. His eyes drifted toward Applejack as he scanned her body and face. She looked up at him from the corner of her eye, giving a small smile.

“What’re you looking at, Spike?” she asked, a slight playfulness in her voice.

“Just wondering if we should try it out now or later,” the dragon confessed, “The prospect of burning you alive is sort of a mood killer for me, but if you’re feeling daring, well I can’t say no when you lift your tail…”

“I can’t believe Twilight raised such a dirty dragon,” Applejack giggled, grinning up at her lover, “I honestly shouldn’t be surprised, what with those cheap romance novels she and Rarity always talked about.”

“Hey, those books are pretty good,” Spike as the mare laughed uproariously, “That’s where I got the idea for the tongue thing.”

“You don’t say?” Applejack suddenly quit laughing, a blush creeping across her cheeks, “What, uh… what else did those there books teach you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” the dragon smirked but failed to hide his own blush, “Actually, there were a couple in there about farm fantasies.”

“What the hay kinda sexual fantasies can go on in a farm?” Applejack chuckled.

“Oh, you know,” Spike shrugged, “sex in a barn, out in the open field, in the shade of trees. That sort of stuff.”

“How is any of that particularly thrilling?” the mare shook her head, confused, “That’s pretty basic stuff, ain’t it?”

“Not for ponies living in a town or city, it’s not,” the dragon chortled, “We don’t have private, open land we can just have sex in whenever we want. It’s all behind closed doors. There’s supposed to be a certain thrill of being outside, in the elements, with the threat of being caught hanging over your head.”

“I suppose that does sound a little fun…” Applejack blushed deeper as she looked at the closest apple trees, “a-and we wouldn’t even have to go inside after bucking trees. I mean, if you don’t mind the sweat, that is.”

“I love it when you sweat,” Spike confessed, a slight, hungry growl behind his words as he eyed her desire, “Do you wanna try it?”

“I admit, talking about it with Zecora has left me a little hot and bothered,” Applejack grinned, “I suppose we can have a go at this here tree, if you’re really feeling up to it.”

“Oh, I’m feeling up to it,” the dragon laughed loudly.

Applejack smiled wanly as she braced herself against a nearby tree, face completely flushed. What would her family think of her having sex brazenly and in the open? Well, come to think of it, her parents and grandparents all probably did much the same thing when they were younger. The mental image nearly killed the mood for her, but she felt herself heat up once again as Spike slipped his member into her lower lips. A hiss of pleasure escaped her lips as the dragon started off slowly, grinding his entire length into Applejack’s marehood, and out again. Such a simple, uncreative motion, repeated so many times it might have been ad nauseum, and yet it made the mare’s tongue loll out of her mouth and her eyes roll back in ecstasy.
She had occasionally mused to herself about Spike’s size when she was alone. He was neither as long nor as girthy as the average stallion (at least according to what she’d managed to learn from others), but she neither noticed nor cared since she had never experienced sex with a stallion in the first place. Additionally, she was willing to bet the texture of his barbs added an extra layer of pleasure that more than made up for the smaller size. She had also realized that Spike wasn’t done growing yet. She had seen him grow to monstrous proportions during the greed incident of his youth. Her understanding was that dragons could only reach such a large size through their greed, but it was also possible that Spike would grow larger yet by natural means. Of course, that’d take many long years, maybe even centuries.
The realization that she would be dead long before Spike even neared his middle years made Applejack’s heart sink, a ball of ice settling in her guts despite the intense heat radiating throughout her core. She spared a look back at her lover, taking in the details of his face and wondering how he would cope with such a loss. They had discussed starting a family, having kids… How would he handle watching her age and wither and die before his eyes? How long would it take him to recover from the heartbreak and find new love? A year? A decade? Centuries? Suddenly the pleasure she felt seemed distant, her heavy heart spoiling everything. She said nothing as Spike ramped up his game, smoke lifting from his lips as he neared his climax.
Spike’s eyes snapped open as he felt the familiar heat. He jumped backwards, pulling out in time to shoot a jet of hot jizz between Applejack’s legs. It struck the tree and caught light, startling the mare who began kicking dirt onto the blaze. She rounded on the dragon, glaring at him. Spike shrunk back, sheepish.
“What in tarnation was that, Spike?!” Applejack demanded, startling her lover. Spike was bewildered that she was so angry when only minutes before she had been flirtatious and inviting. Even stranger, she didn’t seem to be recovering from their sexual experience as she usually did. Had she not enjoyed it? “You said you could keep it under control!”
“I’m sorry, AJ,” Spike sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “I… I tried. I focused on not knocking you up, but I guess on some level I still wanted to. Honestly, the idea of us being a family, living on a farm, it’s kind of-”
“Silly is what it is!” the mare stamped a hoof. Applejack hated herself for saying it, but it was true. Spike would outlive her. Any family they started together would be short a mother before the children were true adults. “You’re a dragon, Spike. I’m a pony. I’m touched you wanna start a family with me, but look at the facts! We can’t even have foals together, and even if we could, what kinda life would they have with parents like us?”
“P-parents… like us?” Spike asked, pupils shrinking as dread seized his heart. Where had all of this come from all of a sudden? Things were fine, weren’t they? Had he said or done something wrong? “What do you mean ‘parents like us’?”
“Pony and dragon parents,” Applejack elaborated in exasperation, “For Celestia’s sake, Spike, it just doesn’t work!”
The dragon simply sat there, staring at the mare with shock. Applejack huffed, struggling to regain control of her breathing after her outburst. As her head cooled she began to realize that her choice of words, while honest, hadn’t exactly conveyed what she meant. Before she could expand on her reasoning, though, she saw Spike eye her first with pained betrayal and then contempt.
“I get it,” he sneered in a poor effort to cover up the hurt in his eyes, “dragons and ponies don’t work. I guess loving each other isn’t enough, huh?”
“Sugar-” Applejack began, unsure where she would even begin in salvaging the situation.
“Don’t,” Spike held up a hand to forestall her, “I’m not a kid anymore. I get that ponies… just can’t see dragons like that. We’re too brutish, or frightening, or whatever. That’s fine; I accepted that years ago when I got over Rarity.” His expression became pained, “What I don’t understand is… why now? I thought… I thought we had something. I-I knew I shouldn’t have gotten attached; you said nothing should change between us. I’m sorry, AJ, I shouldn’t have expected… I need to go.”
“Sugar, wait!” Applejack felt horror take hold of her as she watched the dragon rocket skyward on his wings, desperate to abscond and retreat far away from her. He ignored her cries as he traveled into the heavens, heading towards the woods and disappearing into the twilight sky.
The mare fell to her haunches, eyes still locked on the darkening sky where Spike had disappeared, trying to figure out how she had ruined the situation so quickly. She hadn’t meant that dragons and ponies didn’t work in relationships! She had simply meant that they couldn’t have children together, and that their different lifespans meant any romantic relationship they engaged in would be relatively short for Spike. She had never intended to imply that there was nothing between them. Did Spike really think she was so shallow as to view him as a brutish, frightening dragon? That what they had was just casual sex? The idea would have insulted her if she weren’t so devastated by the pain her poor dragon was feeling.
Unable to even determine where he had disappeared to, Applejack simply retired inside and fell asleep in her bed. It was far colder and lonelier than she ever remembered it being before.

Author's Note

Here’s the first bit of conflict. The original plot layout I mentioned last chapter I’ve scrapped.

There’s probably not going to be any clop for a couple of chapters, so just a head’s up.